Defense

[Edgy MD]

How are you feeling? Do you think they can survive this way?

Dilson at second and Murphtone at third may solve 40% of the problem for the next week or so (30%?), but after that, Flores is the shortstop and Murphy the second baseman again.

Don't make a conclusive decision based on last night, but surely you're looking down the road and thinking about stuff. What stuff are you thinking about?

[A Boy Named Seo]

Poor Wilmer just doesn't look so fluid or natural at short. I do worry about him, maybe more than Muff.

[Edgy MD]

Murph's saving grace, such as it is, is his ability to keep his head and stay with a play that he doesn't pick cleanly the first time.

That's easier to do at second, certainly at first, and even at third, than it is at shortstop. And it's easier to do when your feet aren't betraying you the way Wilmer's seem to.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think his bat gets him demoted sooner than his glove does. He's had a little bad luck on batted balls, seems like, and I think he'll hit more when his teammates do: Optimistic that Dilson will get him going offensively. But if he doens't get going offensively then no reason to inflict the glove on us.

[Ceetar]

having both of them expounds the problem and it doesn't get much better with Murphy at third.

If they hit a little more it'll be okay. While there have been defensive issues aplenty, Losing Wright and d'Arnaud feels like it's the bigger problem, and Campbell, Flores and Plawecki are churning out the outs on the wrong side of the ball.

[Frayed Knot]

Am worried about the defense long term, but at the moment am at least as concerned about the offense.
After my post last week about the bats seemingly sitting out the first time through the lineup, we've now gone several games straight where they've tacked up a couple of early runs but then gone into shut-down mode, all of which helps to put more pressure on the defense, and on our own starters, and on the pen.

[TransMonk]

I don't think they can survive this way...but I also think there is still a lot to play out over the next couple weeks and months.

I don't know enough about Dilson or Reynolds defensively to know if they can contribute to the solution if/when they are inserted into the lineup.

[Edgy MD]

Ceetar wrote: having both of them expounds the problem and it doesn't get much better with Murphy at third.

I think going from Murphy at second and Cambell at third to Herrera at second and Murphbell at third is certainly a step in the right direction, and has the potential to be a positive step offensively also.

Another step in the right direction would be some intentionality about using Tejada at short � preferably on days when Niese is pitching and for late-inning defense.

[Theoldmole]

Offense is always streaky, and the Mets have always had a penchant for everyone slumping at the same time. How often did we hear Bob Murphy say "When the Mets start hitting...and they will..."?

And not meaning to be too much of a Pollyanna, because right now Flores' defense is alarming, but people have learned to play defense after arriving at the major league level. Graig Nettles comes to mind - a terrible fielder who became a Gold Glover.

[TransMonk]

Edgy MD wrote: Another step in the right direction would be some intentionality about using Tejada at short � preferably on days when Niese is pitching and for late-inning defense.

I can certainly get behind this.

[Ceetar]

TransMonk wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Another step in the right direction would be some intentionality about using Tejada at short � preferably on days when Niese is pitching and for late-inning defense. I can certainly get behind this.

yes, the lack of Tejada for late inning defense is frustrating. Even if you had to give Tejada an AB a game or so, big deal, more likely to get on base anyway.

[Edgy MD]

Seven Wilmerrors in the first month.

Not sure I signed up for 42 of those babies.

[Frayed Knot]

I don't know what to make of Flores's throwing.
His arm isn't weak, but his throws seem to wind up either perfect or perfectly horrid with little in between and with no correlation between whether he's throwing on the run or with time.

[A Boy Named Seo]

I'm curious how many unearned runs the Mets have allowed this year. My achy guts tells me it's a league-worst contender. Anyone know where to find this stuff? I didn't see it on ESPN, BB-R, but maybe wasn't turning over the right stones.

[Edgy MD]

By unearned runs, the team doesn't look so bad, having allowed only seven, tied for 11th in the league. The Nats are last by a lot, with 24 unearned runs, 50% more than the next to last.

TheMets sit in the middle of the pack with a "0" figure for defensive runs saved, but I suspect that's the tally from a strong positive number in the outfield, and a low negative number in the infield.

[Ceetar]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: I'm curious how many unearned runs the Mets have allowed this year. My achy guts tells me it's a league-worst contender. Anyone know where to find this stuff? I didn't see it on ESPN, BB-R, but maybe wasn't turning over the right stones.

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld≶=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=23,d

click headers to sort.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Thanks, Edge. I'm guessing a bunch of the Nats generous play came during that first Mets series.

This poor run is sobering and sad and kinda confusing cause I don't think they're necessarily the winning streak team, or this pile of suck we've seen the 10 games since. C'mon real Mets. Show ya selves.

Thanks, too, Ceets.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

But of course RA vs Unearned RA hardly tells the whole story.
Sunday's lone run scored only after the infield twice failed to turn DPs; in Saturday's game the Nats scored while never getting the ball out of the infield.

[Fman99]

I am all done with Tejada.

Can Herrera play short in between Muffy and Wright once he's back? Does he have any innings logged at SS?

[Edgy MD]

Curious to see that the team looks average-to-good even when measuring by DPR (runs saved by double plays, which is a number I thought might be damning). Somewhere there's a "Marginal double plays," number where somebody is measuring double plays against actual opportunities when a team gets an actual grounder with a force on the basepaths. Maybe if we can find that, we'll see the blip of Wilmer's (and Murphy's) impact, but even that probably takes some time to sort out in the wash.

Sunday's lone run scored only after the infield twice failed to turn DPs; in Saturday's game the Nats scored while never getting the ball out of the infield.

[fimg=450]http://cinefreaks.gr/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/the-lost-weekend.jpg[/fimg]

Of course, this weekend indicts the offense as well as the defense, and I imagine the former is the higher priority for the team to address. (I'm telling you... bunt!)

[A Boy Named Seo]

Edgy MD wrote: Curious to see that the team looks average-to-good even when measuring by DPR (runs saved by double plays, which is a number I thought might be damning). Somewhere there's a "Marginal double plays," number where somebody is measuring double plays against actual opportunities when a team gets an actual grounder with a force on the basepaths. Maybe if we can find that, we'll see the blip of Wilmer's (and Murphy's) impact, but even that probably takes some time to sort out in the wash.

That sounds like the Runs That Scored on Effed Up DP's, which is a number I wanna see. Maybe it hasn't been all that bad volume-wise, but just supremely bad timing and importance-wise.

And yup� on the offense. The .643 and .642 OPS's of Campbell and Plawecki haven't made stuff any better.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Fman99 wrote: I am all done with Tejada. Can Herrera play short in between Muffy and Wright once he's back? Does he have any innings logged at SS?

Yeah, that's not an option. I say this as his adopted dad-- he's arguably good at second with the glove, and the arm/setting with the throws is an issue there.

I still suspect we'll be better off medium-term with Flores there than Tejada, but I have no problem with Terry leaning on the late-inning-substitution button a little more often.

[ashie62]

Twitterverse stuff about Muffy to SF? Anyone?

[Edgy MD]

Fman99 wrote: I am all done with Tejada.

[fimg=300]http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1921805/uspw_6508114.jpg[/fimg]
I love you too, Buddy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah. If tonight's any indication, he ain't done with us just yet.

[Zvon]

Tejada only does well when either he has something to prove, or when Terry hangs a carrot in front of him. These things most times overlap. The problem is after he proves what he's trying to prove and gets the carrot, he goes lax and does not play on the same level that his potential could allow, imo. It used to be at least he still could field well at short but then over the last year even that went to shit. Mr. T has had plenty of time to grow up. If that cycle continues he's best used off the bench and should be used A LOT MORE as a D replacement late in games.